Apparatus for making rubber thread



May 21, 1935. J. R. GAMMETER APPARATUS FOR MAKING RUBBER THREAD Filed Aug. 6, 1952 INVENTOR W MK R. w W

ATTORNEY Patented May 21, 1 935 John R. Gammeter, Akron, Ohio, assignor, by mesne assignments, to United States Rubber Company, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New' Jersey Application August 6, 1932, Serial No. 627,744

3 Claims.

5 suitable rubber-containing fluid, such as a solution or dispersion material;

other advantages of rubber or rubber-like will readily appear from the following description, reference being made to the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figural is an elevation more or less diagrammatically illustrating an apparatus and method embodying and carrying out the invention;

Figure 2 is a detail front elevation showing an apparatus for applying the rubber-containing fluid to the travelling belt of Fig. 1; and

Figure 3 is a detail side elevation of a modified apparatus for applying the rubber-containing fluid to the travelling belt of Fig. 1. 7

Referring to the drawing, the numeral l0 designates a tank for a rubber-containing fluid H, preferably an aqueous dispersion of rubber, such as natural latex containing vulcanizing ingredi ents so that on subsequent drying and heating rubber deposited from it will become vulcanized. In the tank is an apparatus for applying one or more laterally confined films of the rubber-containing fluid to a travelling surface with which the apparatus substantially contacts. The appa ratus is in the form of one or more hardened printing rolls 12 or similarly constructed roll, journalled in the tank l0 and partly submerged in the rubber-containing fluid II. The printing roll, shown in detail in Fig. 2 consists of two wall surfaces l3 and M which hold the rubber-containing fluid between them by virtue of the groove l5, and when the wall surfaces l3 and M are at an angle to the belt l8 and substantially touch it at the edges [6 and I! of the wall surfaces, the fluid is transferred to the surface in the form of a laterally confined film. This is unlike the application of a fluid to an advancing surface by means of an ordinary applicator roll with the applying surfacecompletely in contact with the travelling surface. With the ordinary applicator roll, the fluid is not applied to the advancing surface in the form of a laterally confined and regular film, but is licked off the roll in the form of a film that will have more or less irregular edges and possibly contain fissures. As the printing roll I2 rotates in the tank I 0, the walls I3 and [4 are wiped or cleaned by ploughs l9 so that the applied film will present. a sharply defined edge and be uniform.

Figure 3 shows another means of applying a laterally confined film to the advancing surface,

wherein the printing roll I 2 instead of being journaled in a tank and being partly submerged in the liquid, as in Fig.1, is fed from a fountainconsisting for exampleof a tank l0 containing rub ber-containing fluid l l', by means of a discharge orifice 20 substantially touching the groove l5 of the printing roll l2 so that only on rotation of the .roller and application of the rubber-containing fluid in the groove to the advancing surface I 8, will the rubber-containing fluid l I continue to feed to the groove. Other methods of feeding the rubbercontaining fluid to the. printing roll will readily occur to persons skilled in the art.

The advancing surface I8 to which the rubbercontaining fluid is applied takes the form of an endless metallic belt, preferably of stainless steel.

The surface of the belt on which the rubber dispersion is depositedshould be maintained smooth and clean so that a film of dispersion applied to it from the printing roller will completely hold together and continue to be in the form of a strip as applied with laterally confined edges and on subsequent drying may be removed from thesurface without unduly-adhering to it in spots and possibly producing fissures in the strip or even completely rupturing it. In order to present such a surface before applying the dispersion thereon, a cleaning apparatus such as a buffer 2i is provided'to clean the surface of the belt prior to applying the rubber dispersion to it.

As the rubber-containing fluid is applied to the belt, the belt travels over idler 22 provided with grooves on its surface sothat the films of dispersion will not comein contact with it, and the 'films are dried and vulcanized by passing through chamber 23, through which air or other gas heated to a temperature sufficient to produce drying and vulcanization, is blown by blower 24 associated with gas heating chamber 25, and around take-up pulley 26.

The dried rubber strips are removed from the belt at an angle thereto under tension by a strip- .ping operation at some point, of travel of the belt before the buffer 2|. The belt is shown going around idler 21 and driving pulley 28 (driven by means not shown). and the strips are removed from the pulley 28 at take-off point 29 by takeofi rolls 30 and 3| and wound up on one or more spools 32.

In operation the strip or strips of rubber are continuously removed from the belt l8 at take-off point 29 and the belt bufied by bufling apparatus 2| and the process continued, the laterally confined films of rubber dispersion being applied to the bufied surface of the belt, the belt advancing through the drier and vulcanizer 23 so that the applied films will be dried and vulcanized, and the vulcanized strips are removed at take-01f point 29 by means of take-01f rolls 39 and 3!.

The rubber-containing fiuid applied to the continuously progressing surface, as has been stated, is preferably an aqueous dispersion of rubber, such as natural latex containing vulcanizing ingradients so that on passing through the heating chamber, vulcanized strips will be formed. The rubber-containing fluid may be a vulcanized latex or the like so that a subsequent vulcanization on drying is unnecessary. If desired, an unvulcanized latex may be used that contains no vulcanizing ingredients, or one may be used that contains vulcanizing ingredients butthat will not produce vulcanization under the conditions in chamber 23. In such case the belt after leaving the drying chamber 23 may pass through a separate vulcanizing' chamber and before removing from the belt. Also, if desired, in such case, the

strips may be vulcanized after being removed from the belt and before spooling, or while on the spools, or during some subsequent operation after unwinding from thespools. The use of other 'wellknown aqueous dispersions of rubber or rubber-like material, including artificial dispersions of crude and reclaimed rubber, or rubberlike material, will be apparent to persons skilled in the art.

As various other modifications will occur to those skilled in the art, it is not intended to limit the invention other than as set forth in the appended claims.

Having thus. described my invention, what I claim and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

1. An apparatus for making strip rubber comprising a travelling liquid impervious surface, a grooved roller for applying a film of rubbercontaining fluid thereon, means for drying the rubber film, means for removing the dried film in strip form from the surface, and means for cleaning the bare surface as it advances.

2. An apparatus for making rubber comprising an endless liquid impervious belt, a grooved roller for applying a film of rubber-containing fluid thereon, means for drying the rubber film, means for removing the film in strip form from the belt at an angle thereto under tension, and means for buffing the belt after removal of the film.

3. An appartus for making Strip rubber com-' JOHN R. GAMMETER. 

